The Baby's Crying, dear
by Ranekaera
Summary: A monster is born...and it's a boy. R & R please!
1. Mother and daughter, doll and child

Short chapter, I know, but this one's on the Dire Mother and the Great Child. I thought since no one out there's made one on these guys yet, then I'd be the first!

CHAPTER ONE: THE FREAKSHOW COMES TO TOWN

BY Ranekaera Kuhn Young

September 10, 2006

The sound of children laughing. The sound of adults pointing and talking excitedly. The sound of the animals. The smell of popcorn and cotton candy. These things were all familiar to Margaret Shelburne. She was here with her mother, and they were munching on popcorn and enjoying the circus.

Margaret wore a cute little dress and pinafore with lace ruffles round the collar, and her shoes were patent leather, like a dolls. Her mother often dressed her like a doll, for that was what she was. Margaret was only three feet tall, and so was laughed at and rejected all her life. The only thing she could do, however, was to gain any form of acceptance she could find.

She was going to run away and join the circus.

Her mother, sitting beside her with an arm around her shoulder, knew naught of it, of course, for what would she say if she knew what poor Margaret was to become?


	2. Runaway warnings

She checked to make sure her mother was safely downstairs and occupied with the radio and her guests, and quietly made her way downstairs.

She was wearing a dark maroon dress with the tight skirt and the crep bottom that belled out, a black shawl over her shoulders to keep her warm.

It was 1924, on the night of June 18, that Margaret Shelburne decided to run away to join the circus. And she WOULD be accepted. Who _wouldn't_ be interested in a three-foot-tall woman?

Seeing that her mother was still entertaining her guests and listening to the radio, Margaret crept on her hands and knees towards the front door. If she timed it just right, when her mother wasn't looking, she could open the front door and sneak out like a dog.

She saw her chance and she booked it.

She never looked back.

The night was still and muggy. Crickets chirped and Margaret kept to the shadows. She wasn't usually this shy, but tonight, she didn't want to be seen. Not until she had to be.

The circus wasn't far. She could see the outline of the merry go round from where she was standing. She hoped it was all it looked like. Dramatic. Exciting. Adventurous. She had no way of knowing that it would be, but not the way she imagined it.

She approached the front gates of the fair grounds and was accosted by a small, fidgety man with a black cane and a wild moustache.

"What business have you here tonight missie? Shouldn't you be at home in bed?"

Margaret placed her hands on her hips and stood up straight.

"I'm here on important business, sir. I've come to join the show." She replied in her deepest voice.

The man looked shocked and his top hat fell off. She bent to pick it up and handed it back to him.

"So may I pass through?" she asked.

The man appeared to think a moment, then shrugged and unlocked the gates.

"But be warned." He added as she was walking through. She paused to listen to the rest of the warning.

"The circus ain't all it's cracked up to be. And that Jimbo man ain't very nice. You be careful, there, miss." He finished, completely serious. Margaret studied his face a moment longer, puzzling it over and wondering who Jimbo was.

"I intend to be. Good evening." She replied.

The man tipped his hat.

"The same to you, my lady."


	3. Jimbo, man of two faces

This man Jimbo is not my character, but his personality is. All I'm borrowing is the name, since the movie didn't really elaborate much. Margaret, the tall man and Harold also are not mine, but anyone else in here is. So no stealing or I'll sic the Jackal on you!

Margaret walked boldly past the hay strewn fair grounds and the rides, and right on to the enormous, yellow and white circus tent. The grounds were dark and very foreboding, and she didn't like it much, but she supposed she would have to get used to it, and fast.

She saw the trailers up ahead, marked with pictures of clowns and freaks, and she rapped smartly on the door of the first car, thinking it would be the circus owner's.

"What! If it's about that bloody pigeon again, then shoot the blasted thing, I don't give a damn how hard it was to train—"

A man threw open the door and he stopped in mid-sentence when he thought he saw no one there. Then Margaret cleared her throat and the man looked down and saw her. He raised his rather prominent eyebrows in surprise and stared at her a moment.

"And what can I do for you, little girl? I'm rather busy at the moment, you see." He said.

Margaret smiled sweetly and said "I can see that. I'm looking for the owner of the show."

"You found him. May I ask what this is about, Miss-?"

"Shelburne. My name is Margaret Shelburne. And I want to join your show." She replied.

The man stared at her a moment, then stroked his bushy sideburns thoughtfully, thinking. She looked like a child, yet she talked like an adult. She may be an asset to his show, most particularly his freak show. Yes, she would make a perfect pair, the bearded woman, the Siamese twins, the fat woman and the tall man. She could be called…

The Dwarfette.

Jimbo smiled and invited her inside, and that sealed poor Margaret's fate. She was in Jimbo's ring now, and by damn it, she had better just behave, or else.

Jimbo smiled again as he offered her a seat, and she took it. The place was cluttered. A vanity table took up one corner of the room, papers, flyers, leaflets and photos took up one end table near a small couch in another corner. It looked like a comfortabke life, all right. And she thought Jimbo was a little odd, but then, look what the man did for a living. How bad could it be?


	4. Margaret's in with the fat lady

Chapter four is gonna go by a little fast, but it's longer than the rest!

CHAPTER FOUR:

MARGARET'S FIRST SHOW

_Day 1._

That night, Jimbo put Margaret in with the Fat Lady. She was, indeed, fat, and she took up more than half the bed where Margaret slept. She was engulfed in hot, saggy, smelly flesh, and what was worst, she didn't think the fat lady had bathed in awhile. She was suffocating, and eventually she got down on the floor of the train car she was in and slept there on the hard, cold floor. The fat lady gave a deafening snore and Margaret was disgusted. It was like sleeping with her grandmother, who was almost as huge and just as smelly.

Outside, a donkey brayed and Margaret shivered. This was like camping, not that she had ever been, and she didn't like the unfamiliar feeling of not knowing where she was. But that was preposterous! She was still in town! She was just sleeping…somewhere else, that was all.

On the bed, the fat lady gave another huge snort, and Margaret made a face; it definitely wasn't her favorite person to bed with.

Why couldn't she have been with the bearded lady instead?

_Day 2._

The next morning found Margaret in the donkey pen, giving them new hay and cleaning their fecal matter with a wet shovel that she kept dipping in a bucket of hot water. She'd been given a simple, knee-length calico dress that she didn't like; it was too old fashioned. Plus it showed her pudgy, stunted legs. She knew this was the show's way of "welcoming her into the fold", and she didn't appreciate it. But what could she do? She was only three feet tall, and what was worst, the tall man kept eyeing her whenever they were alone together. She tried to stick with the other performers as much as possible.

She was due to start her first show in the next town over. She'd made a deal with Jimbo last night, not to go onstage until she was out of her hometown. In this town, everyone knew that Margaret Shelburne, and if they saw her, they were bound to tell her mother.

So here she was, cleaning up after the animals. So far, the circus wasn't what she thought it would be.

_Day 3. Margaret's still with the fat lady_

Day three, and tomorrow the show would be leaving. At last, Margaret would get her first show, and with it, acceptance.

She was again cleaning up after the donkeys, and next it was the ponies, yet again. After that, though, she had to feed the pigeon, and her back was killing her. Last night the fat lady had rolled over on her, crushing her, and only after she bit her was she able to wriggle out from under the enormous woman, and she had not been happy.

It was the "bloody pigeon" Jimbo had been yelling about the first night. As far as she knew, they tied long, red feathers to its tail and head and called it a Phoenix.

Sighing, she dumped the last heap of crap into the disposal trough outside and headed to the supply car to dump the pope-scraping equipment and get the pony equipment, which was just a bunch of brushes, combs, ribbons and bridles.

She let herself into the pony pen and approached the first one, her favorite, a snowy white male named Clown. He nuzzled her as she grew near, and she slipped him some feed out of a pocket in her skirt and began grooming him for the next act. Helping her was the bearded woman, who at the moment had no beard. She really _did _have a beard, too, and it grew faster than a man's. Her hair was bright orange red and her beard was blonde. She wore a bathrobe over her bright red costume, for it was slashed very artistically. She was somewhat of a whore, as far as Margaret could figure out. She was helping her groom the animals, and all Margaret cared about was finishing her duties for the day so she could take a rest without the fat lady.

"I'll take Calico for ya, hon." She said. Despite her whory-ness, she went out of her way to be nice to Margaret, a thing which she appreciated very much.

"That would be nice, thank you. I'll get Bozo for you, then. He likes me." She replied, tying red and yellow ribbons into the mane of a coal black pony with a white front hoof. On his head was a plumed red feather.

"Oh, thanks, Maggie. You're such a dear." Said the bearded woman, whose name was Clarice. Margaret hated being called Maggie but she tolerated it. At least she was being spoken to at all.

Margaret soon finished with her portion of the ponies and Clarice was just finishing up as well. Margaret thanked her again and headed off to get the bloody pigeon, which was making a racket. It didn't have a name, and its feathers were dyed a bright red color. Margaret frowned when she saw it; it didn't look like any pigeon. Its eyes were red, too, and it creeped her out. She threw some feed into the cage and applied its feather headdresses to it and left.

Climbing into the bed she shared with the fat lady, she sighed and gazed longingly out at the stars. Yes, life in the circus would be grand. As soon as they left town, all would be just as she imagined it, and more. Thus thinking, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.


	5. Rape and something wanted

Margaret sighed wearily and finished brushing the donkey's fur. She had been with the circus now for two months and she didn't like it at all, not at all. It was _nothing _like what she had imagined it would be.

First off, the crowd never accepted her for what she was. They catcalled, jeered, called her names and threw food at her. They hurt her feelings and twice she had run offstage to her trailer and cried herself to sleep. The second time, Jimbo had come in and hit her, calling her a lazy slut. She sniffed at the memory. She didn't think she was a slut.

Second, the other freaks all laughed at her too. Only the bearded lady seemed to have a nice word for Margaret Shelburne, the Dwarfette.

Thirdly, Jimbo was not a nice man. It seemed she should have listened to the words of that kind fellow at the gates, she thought.

Fourth and last, Jimbo had come into her car one day and given her a meager fifty cents. The other performers got a dollar, but she only got fifty cents. She could feed herself for a week on that, but after that she would be broke. She sighed again and headed off to the carnival grounds restroom to relieve herself.

When she returned to the donkey pen, she saw that someone had accidentally dumped the tray of dung on the floor. Sighing yet again, she got a broom and a dist bin and began cleaning it up. It figured.

The next thing she knew, she was being pinned to the floor by one enormous bony knee and her dress was being ripped forcibly off. She screamed out for help, but sadly, no one came. Then she felt a gag in her mouth.

"Hush, girl, I just wanna be sweet to you, it'll be over soon " Said a rough voice in her ear. She had no trouble recognizing that voice. It was the tall man.

Margaret closed her eyes tight and hoped against hope that she came out of this alive.

When it was over and Margaret was left bleeding and hurt on the ground, someone came in, finally, and saw her. It was the bearded lady.

"Oh my god, what happened to you?" she exclaimed, taking her bathrobe off to spread over the poor woman, but Margaret saw an odd gleam in Clarice's eyes that she didn't much like.

It looked like Clarice was enjoying this.

_Two months later_

Two months later found Margaret in a bad way. Her belly had ballooned to twice its normal size after her rape by the tall man, and she was, without a doubt, pregnant.

There was no way the other circus performers could not notice it. Jimbo was furious that she had not stood up for herself, or at least called out for help, and how _dare_ she cause this kind of trouble on purpose, did she hate him that much? Margaret hardly dared tell him that she _had _called out for help. It wouldn't have done any good anyway.

Because of her condition, Margaret was given her own train car, so at least she was finally free of that snoring behemoth, the fat lady. It was cold because there was a broken window in it, but at least it was her own. She fingered her swollen belly. She wanted this child. It had hurt a lot to get it, and she had had no say in the matter, but her feelings were complicated. She had always like children, perhaps because she was so much like one herself, and she wanted this one. It would be hers and hers alone.

Hers to spoil.

Hers to coddle.

It would be her child and she could love it forever and ever.


	6. A monster is born

These chapters are kinda short, and the names of them are a bit of a giveaway, but I was just trying to fast forward to the night Harold was born, so here's where they get a little longer.

Rain lashed on the train car as it trundled through the muddy side roads. Thunder boomed outside and lightning flashed, lighting up Margaret's little train car for a brief moment before all went dark again. The baby in her womb kicked her and she lay on her back, gasping in pain, for she could not bend over double. Her belly was now so big that she was forced to forever wear one of Clarice's bathrobes, tied very loosely over nothing but a white under garment. She moaned in pain until the kicking subsided, and stood up on her bed to peer out the window at the storm without.

They were on the road, traveling east to the state of Delaware. She had been with the circus now for almost a full year, and she was beginning to wish she never had. She wondered what her mother was doing right now, but then decided it was redundant, it didn't matter. What was done was done and there was nothing she could do about it.

Again, she fingered her mountainous belly and wondered when the time was going to come.

Margaret lay on her side in bed and pulled the ragged blankets close to her chin. It was freezing in her little area. At least her child was warm and safe within her, and Margaret fell asleep.

The next morning, Margaret awoke to the smell of bacon, which was odd. She hadn't smelled bacon for awhile, not since she left home.

She sat up and there was the Tall Man, in her car, and she shrank back in startled fear. The man, who was actually 6'9'', was crouching on her floor, holding a chipped plastic plate of bacon and scrambled eggs. She must be dreaming. Her rapist, bringing her breakfast in bed?

"I brought you food." He said, as if expecting some sort of praise. Margaret gave him none, but accepted the plate with grace. She hoped he wasn't going to apologize, because she wanted none. She didn't know what she might say.

"I'll be leaving soon. The circus, I mean." He said then, as she began stuffing her mouth full of eggs. They were hot, but good.

"Mmmf." She mumbled with her mouth full of food. She swallowed, then nodded and said "Thank you for the food." The tall man nodded and grinned, half his teeth missing. She got the impression he wasn't all there.

"I'm sorry, Tom's sorry, but you were just so pretty." He said, sadness in his face. And with that, he got to his feet and lurched out of her car, leaving her stunned, a piece of bacon hanging out her mouth. He _had_ said he was sorry. She doubted it, but she finished her meal in silence and lurched herself to her feet and out the door after him, carrying her empty plate. She squinted her eyes against the harsh morning sunlight and headed to Jimbo's car to return the plate. She knocked on his door and said in a loud voice that carried

"I have your plate, Jim!"

He opened up his door and took it from her without a word, not even bothering to reprimand her for not cleaning it first. Since she became heavy with child, all she was was a burden, not even being able to go on the show because of her damned pregnant belly. He still had to pay her, and he was regretting his decision before not to hear her call for help. Of course, he had heard it, and he had ignored it, because she needed to learn to stick up for herself. He could see his plan had failed with flying colors.

"Go wash up and report back here for your weekly pay." Was all he said, and Margaret carefully stepped off his stairs to go out to the water bin and do as he said.

She had to wait in line, for the fat lady was there with the Siamese twins, washing her face. Margaret suppressed a giggle; it was probably the first contact she'd had with water for quite awhile. She left and Margaret waited for the Siamese twins to finish before she splashed water on her own face and headed back to Jimbo's car.

She knocked once again and Jimbo opened the door before her hand could fall again. He thrust two dollars into her hand and slammed the door in her face. Margaret stared at the money in her hand. Two dollars? What happened to her customary one dollar? Was he trying to be nice to her because of the baby? Whatever it was, she decided to get the money back to her car and under her mattress with the rest before he changed his mind and took it back.

She lifted her mattress and saw the rest of her wages, and added the two dollars. She now had about ten dollars and fifty cents. Most of her money went to buy food for herself, and jars of baby food for her unborn baby. She had also bought two baby bibs and two cloth diapers with safety pins. She sighed and replaced the horribly ragged mattress, then lay back down upon it. She knew she was being a burden on the circus, but what choice did she have? It was her home now, and she could never go back.

Margaret rolled over and decided to take a nap.

She was awakened with sharp stabbing pains in her belly.

At first she thought it was just the baby kicking, but then felt the wetness spread underneath her and smelled the blood. She was having her baby.

It was time.

Panicking, she screamed for someone, anyone to come and help her, she was having the baby, someone help her.

She saw someone push open the doors to her car and the tall man came in, closely followed by Clarice and the Siamese twins. One twin carried a pail of water, the other, a large, coarse towel. The bearded lady carried an extra towel and a pillow, larger and fluffier than Margaret's own. She put her legs up on the bed and was suddenly forced to spread her legs apart rather crudely as something inside her fought its way out. Her hips were being put under an enormous pressure and something inside her for the first time opened its black eyes.

Margaret began to lose consciousness, and she bit her lip till it bled to stay awake for this, the birth of her first, ill-gotten, illegitimate child.

The tall man held her hand, and she squeezed it, hoping for some small shred of comfort. The tall man squeezed back and it reminded her of that night, the force of it all. The pain in her hips doubled, then tripled, and one of the twins suddenly shouted.

"It's coming!"

His twin handed him the towel and his brother carefully mopped the blood away from the poor woman's legs. Under ordinary circumstances, the men would not have been allowed while a woman was giving birth, but these were no ordinary circumstances and the men knew almost as much as the women.

Margaret screamed as the baby pushed its head out, and the rest followed in a rush of birthing fluids. Margaret swayed on the brink of consciousness.

"It's a boy." Said someone, she couldn't tell, everything was so fuzzy.

But she thought it was the Tall man.


End file.
